


Tony Stark Needs a Therapist

by melanoms



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Airplane Crashes, Angst, Drinking to Cope, F/M, Hallucinations, Infidelity, Regret, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:20:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25448986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melanoms/pseuds/melanoms
Summary: Tony made a mistake and can’t seem to stop paying for it. He goes to the most unlikely of people for help dealing with your death.
Relationships: Tony Stark/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	Tony Stark Needs a Therapist

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr request: Hello could you do angsty Tony x reader. The reader and Tony don't have nice relationship but they love each other. Tony cheated at the reader and when the reader found out she is furious and she wanted to leave and booked a flight. The plane crash as the reader is in it. Tony heard about this and felt devastated and he wanted to find her. He regrets his decision to cheated on her and realize he loves the reader. Thank you

“Strange, you have to help me.”

Tony’s pleading voice echoed through the Sanctum foyer. 

“You know that I can’t do what you’re asking for.” Stephen narrowed his eyes.

“I just, I...I made a mistake. You should understand what that feels like. With your wardrobe choices and whatnot.”

“Tony!” you chided from beside him.

Rolling his eyes, Stephen started walking away. But Tony reached out to grab him by the wrist. Before his fingers could touch the doctor, the Cloak of Levitation swatted his hand away.

Stephen glared at him.

“I’m, I’m sorry,” Tony stammered. “I just, I don’t know who else to go to.”

You examined your nails and muttered under your breath. 

“I always thought you two could get along. If you stopped whipping out the measuring sticks.”

Stephen gave Tony a deadpan expression.

“I’m not at your personal disposal to remedy your mistakes. I can’t just break natural law.”

“Isn’t that exactly what you did?”

“To save the Earth from being consumed by an interdimensional demon.”

Tony swallowed. “I need you to save me, her. I mean her.”

“Nice save,” you whispered in his ear. 

Tony slammed his eyes closed and flinched upon feeling your breath on his skin. Furrowing his brow, Stephen tilted his head to the side.

“Are you…”

“Fine,” Tony barked. “I’m fine.”

“I’m so convinced.” You rolled your eyes. “You should have listened to me.” 

“Don’t you think I know that!” 

Tony whipped his head to the side to glare at you. But he hissed an inhale to see that you were, once again, gone.

Like him, you always had to have the last word. Maybe that’s why he was here:

Standing in the New York Sanctum with the Lord of the Wizards looking at him like _he_ was the strangest thing in that mystical tool shed.

Stephen drew in a deep breath. Looking down, he softly shook his head before returning his gaze to Tony. 

“It doesn’t work like that. I wish I could help you. I really, I really do.”

“Don’t you dare pity me.”

“Get some sleep. It should help. And...talk to someone.”

You elbowed Tony. “See? Even the doctor agrees with me.”

The knot in Tony’s chest tightened. Even after hours examining his arc reactor, it refused to loosen. Ever since…

Tony closed his eyes. But when he opened them again, he was back in his penthouse.

Alone.

The next morning, Tony jolted awake on his couch. Arm possessed with a mind of its own, his hand flew outward and knocked his bottle of scotch to the floor. 

He blankly stared at the rug as the white threads stained with amber regret. Dragging his hands over his face, Tony readjusted on the couch. 

Standing on the other side of the coffee table, you crossed your arms and tapped your foot.

“I’m not cleaning that up.” 

“Since when have I ever asked you to clean up my messes?” Tony snipped.

“Never. And that’s part of the problem. You never ask for help. You never let anyone help you.”

“Because I don’t need it.” He bolted upright. 

“You get maybe two hours of sleep a night. You woke up drunk more times than I can count in the past month. So help me God, if you try touching your arc reactor one more time I will—”

“What? Kill me?”

You clenched your jaw and swallowed.

“No witty comeback?” he mocked.

“You spent four hours yesterday staring at my Twenty One Pilots t-shirt.”

“Got a problem? Want it back?”

“No. And you know why.”

“Say it.”

You bore your eyes into him. Tony sprang to his feet and jumped onto the coffee table. Descending back to earth, he took three steps forward to close in on your space. He could feel your breath upon his skin.

“Say it,” he repeated.

“Because, Tony.” 

He slammed his eyes closed, chest tightening at the inevitable.

“I’m dead,” you finished.

FIVE WEEKS AGO

In his workshop, you approached Tony from behind and draped your arms over his shoulders. Thumb grazing the edge of his arc reactor, you scratched his chest and kissed his cheek. His muscles tightened as he continued mindlessly tinkering with a piece of equipment. 

“I’m so happy you started seeing someone,” you breathed onto his skin.

“Yeah, um, me too.” 

“I promise not to pry.” You untangled yourself from him. “But I hope it goes well.”

“It’s, it’s…”

Tony spun around and stared at you.

“I have to tell you something.”

You furrowed your brow. 

“No, you don’t have to tell me anything about your sessions. I want you to have a place where you can get whatever you need off your chest. Without judgment or—”

“I cheated on you.”

Tony held his breath as he watched you stare at him. Time slowed your chest rose and fell with weighted breath. But his eyes widened when the corner of your lip upturned in a smirk.

“Finally,” you whispered.

“You...you knew?”

“For the past week.”

“And you didn’t say anything?” He tilted his head to the side. “You just waited for me to...aren’t you supposed to be the, you know?”

“Wholesome one?”

“Yeah.”

You crossed your arms and clenched your jaw. Looking at him with a fire in your eyes that Tony would never forget, you said your final words to him.

“What can I say, Tony? You bring out the darkness in me.”

The next hour, his penthouse was free of all your belongings. 

Except for the t-shirt that was forgotten under the couch during a late night rendezvous.

The next day, you were on a plane back to LA.

The next week, Tony was lowering your body into the ground.

Now, you haunted him whether he was asleep or awake. 

However, Tony far preferred the waking hours. You loved him too much in his dreams.

With a sigh, he slumped back on the couch and swiped through a holographic carousel of therapist files. Wrinkling his nose, he tossed one card into the trash. Sitting next to him, you crossed your arms and leaned back. 

“She was pretty.”

“Exactly.”

“But I thought that was your MO? Burying your feelings in another woman?”

With a wave of his hand, Tony exited the program and glared at you.

“I’m sorry. I am so sorry. How many times do I have to tell you?”

“I don’t know, Tony. How many _do_ you have to tell you?”

He sucked in a breath. You raised your eyebrows at him.

“You can stare at pictures, degrees, and specialties all day. But it’s not going to do anything until you—”

“Talk to someone. I know.”

Tony’s breath hitched as you slowly extended your hand towards him. Placing your palm to his knee, you look at him with sorrowful eyes.

“You can get help. With this part too.”

“From who? You?” He jerked away from your touch.

You raised your palms in defense and leaned back.

“Hey! I offered to help you multiple times before. And look how that turned out for you?”

“Just get out.” He covered his eyes and swatted a hand in your direction.

“Okay.”

Tony stopped breathing and his eyes darted upward.

“No, wait…”

But you, for once, listened to him and were nowhere to be found.

Three hours later, Stephen Strange rolled his eyes upon a knock on the Sanctum door.

“Wong! Stop bribing the Girl Scouts to come back to sell you more cookies. Where are you getting this money from anywa—”

But his eyes went wide to see Tony Stark, finally showered, and standing at the entrance.

“I need your help.” Tony outstretched his hands.

“If you drank yourself to memory loss, I already told you that I can’t—”

“Not with that.”

Stephen narrowed his eyes.

“You’re, you...you used to be a doctor?” Tony asked.

“Am. I am a doctor.”

“Uh, right. Then I was wondering if...if maybe you knew of someone I could…”

Tony sucked in a breath and glanced to the side. With wide eyes, Stephen raised his eyebrows and waited for him to finish his sentence.

“DoyouknowanyoneIcouldtalkto?” Tony blurted out.

“I’m not that kind of doctor.”

“Yeah, but…Doc, c’mon.” 

Tony looked at him with pleading eyes. Puffing out his chest, Stephen drew in a breath and scoffed. 

“Well, maybe. I suppose I could reach out to some old contacts.”

“Thank you.”

“Naturally, they’d be the best.”

“Anyone would be great.”

“And expensive.”

“Not an issue.”

“I’ll send the information when it's ready. Don’t come back here.”

“Works great for me.”

Tony threw his hands up and nodded. He stared at Stephen until the doctor tilted his head to the side. 

“Bye.”

“Right.” Tony wiped his hands on his jeans and started walking away. As the Sanctum door closed, he spun around and called out to the hangry magician. 

“Forty boxes of Thin Mints are on their way!”

With a smile on his lips, the first real smile since, well, you know, Tony looked around and held out his hands.

“I did it. Aren’t you, aren’t you proud of me?”

“Yeah, yeah.” An older man shoulder checked him on the sidewalk. “Get moving. What are you waiting for? A trophy?”

As Tony watched the elderly man teeter away, all he could hear was your voice in his head; saying the same words you told him many months ago.

“I just don’t want you to be living in the past anymore. It’s causing you so much pain. Talk to someone. Then we can move forward...together.”

Yeah…

Together.


End file.
